The South Island Championship was held in Nelson last month. The field of 29 players was vastly strengthened at the top by the inclusion of four International Masters: Puchen Wang of Auckland plus three overseas IMs invited to the Trundle Masters the previous week, Stephen Solomon and Aleksandar Wohl from Australia and Peng Kong Chan from Singapore. Although expected to fill the top places, none of these players was eligible for the South Island title. Hence any points scored against them would be critical in the race for the championship.
That is how it turned out. Wang scored a stunning picket fence 9/9 for the second time in two tournaments since his return from the US, to take clear first with a round to spare. Solomon and Wohl tied for second on 7 points. Fourth equal on 5½ were Chan, CM Hilton Bennett of Hamilton and the writer, who thereby became South Island Champion for 2013. Peter van Dijk on 5 points won the Nelson Cole Cup as highest scoring local player.
Today's game from round seven won the upset prize and lead to the South Island title. The writer is playing with the white pieces against IM Wohl.
1.d4 e6 2.c4 b6
The English Defence, a typically sharp system employed by Wohl, where Black develops his bishops first in contrast to the 'knights before bishops' advice usually given to novices. 3.Nc3 Bb7 4.e4 Bb4 5.Bd3 f5 6.d5?! ---
A bad positional mistake, ceding the central dark squares. The main alternatives are 6 Qe2, 6 Qh5+ and 6 f3, which doesn't lose a pawn to 6... fxe4 7 fxe4 Bxc3+ 8 bxc3 Bxe4? as 9 Qh5+ g6 10 Qe5 wins for White. 6.--- fxe4 7.Bxe4 Nf6 8.Bg5 exd5
The simple 8... 0-0 looks best to obtain an advantage, or 8... Bxc3+ 9 bxc3 Na6 coming into c5. The move played leads to an extravagant queen maneouvre to win a pawn. 9.Bxd5 Qe7+ 10.Ne2 Bxc3+ 11.bxc3 c6!?
Leaving White with doubled c-pawns, whereas after 11... Bxd5 12 cxd5 the pawns are not so weak. The drawbacks are the hole on d6 and shutting in the bishop on b7. 12.Bf3 0-0 13.0-0 Qc5?
Forking bishop and pawn, but more prudent was completing development by 13... Na6, when 14 Re1 Rae8 15 Ng3 Qxe1+ 16 Qxe1 Rxe1+ 17 Rxe1 Nc5 offers a good endgame. White could have saved his pawn now by 14 Bxf6 Rxf6 15 Ng3! as 15... Qxc4? 16 Ne4 Rh6! 17 Re1 (17 Nd6? Qf4! wins) 17... d5 18 Be2! Qxe4 19 Bh5 wins the queen for rook and knight. Instead he turns his lead in development into an assault on the black king. 14.Qd2 Qxc4 15.Ng3! d5
Unable to block both paths for the knight to d6, Black plays the natural move, which also opens up the seventh rank for White's rooks. The alternative 15... Nd5!? leads to highly complex play, where White also has full compensation for his pawn. 16.Nf5 Qc5
Black must keep the knight from d6. E.g.: 16... Nbd7?! 17 Nd6 Qa6 18 Rae1 Ne8 19 Nxb7 Qxb7 20 Re7 Rf7 21 Rfe1 Nd6 22 Bg4 and White wins material. 17.Rfe1 Nbd7 18.Re7 Rf7 19.Rae1 Raf8 20.Bh6! ---
Intensifying the attack with a piece sacrifice. Another strong move was 20 Bf4 heading for the d6 square. 20.--- Rxe7
Defence of g7 leads to quick mate e.g. 20... Ne8? 21 Rxf7 Kxf7 22 Bxg7 Nxg7 23 Qg5 Nxf5 24 Bh5#. Cutting off the rooks' communication by 20... Ne4!? runs into a fork after 21 Bxe4 dxe4 22 Rxf7 (22 Qxd7?! Bc8! picks up the knight on f5) 22... Rxf7 23 Nd6, but after 23... Rxf2! 24 Qxf2 Qxd6 white has to find 25 Rxe4! when back rank threats mean White retains the exchange for a pawn. E.g. 25... gxh6? 26 Rg4+ Kh8 27 Rd4 Qe6 28 Rxd7! winning. 21.Rxe7 gxh6?
Black's only chance lay in giving up the g7 pawn 20... Rf7! 21 Rxf7 Kxf7 22 Bxg7 when material is equal but White's attack is still going. Now White has a forced win. 22.Qxh6 Rf7 23.Qg5+ Kf8 24.Rxd7! Rxd7
There is no escape. Apart from 24... Nxd7 25 Qd8 mate there is the pretty line 24... Ke8 25 Rxf7 Kxf7 26 Qg7+ Ke6 27 Nd4+ Ke5 28 Qg3 mate. 25.Qxf6+ Ke8
Black resigned before White forced mate by 26 Bh5+ Rf7 27 Bxf7+ Kd7 28 Be6+ Kc7 29 Qe5+ Kd8 30 Qb8+ Bc8 31 Qxc8#.
Wang continues winning way
Problem: White to play and mate in three.
The South Island Championship was held in Nelson last month. The field of 29 players was vastly strengthened at the top by the inclusion of four International Masters: Puchen Wang of Auckland plus three overseas IMs invited to the Trundle Masters the previous week, Stephen Solomon and Aleksandar Wohl from Australia and Peng Kong Chan from Singapore. Although expected to fill the top places, none of these players was eligible for the South Island title. Hence any points scored against them would be critical in the race for the championship.
That is how it turned out. Wang scored a stunning picket fence 9/9 for the second time in two tournaments since his return from the US, to take clear first with a round to spare. Solomon and Wohl tied for second on 7 points. Fourth equal on 5½ were Chan, CM Hilton Bennett of Hamilton and the writer, who thereby became South Island Champion for 2013. Peter van Dijk on 5 points won the Nelson Cole Cup as highest scoring local player.
Today's game from round seven won the upset prize and lead to the South Island title. The writer is playing with the white pieces against IM Wohl.
1.d4 e6
2.c4 b6
The English Defence, a typically sharp system employed by Wohl, where Black develops his bishops first in contrast to the 'knights before bishops' advice usually given to novices.
3.Nc3 Bb7
4.e4 Bb4
5.Bd3 f5
6.d5?! ---
A bad positional mistake, ceding the central dark squares. The main alternatives are 6 Qe2, 6 Qh5+ and 6 f3, which doesn't lose a pawn to 6... fxe4 7 fxe4 Bxc3+ 8 bxc3 Bxe4? as 9 Qh5+ g6 10 Qe5 wins for White.
6.--- fxe4
7.Bxe4 Nf6
8.Bg5 exd5
The simple 8... 0-0 looks best to obtain an advantage, or 8... Bxc3+ 9 bxc3 Na6 coming into c5. The move played leads to an extravagant queen maneouvre to win a pawn.
9.Bxd5 Qe7+
10.Ne2 Bxc3+
11.bxc3 c6!?
Leaving White with doubled c-pawns, whereas after 11... Bxd5 12 cxd5 the pawns are not so weak. The drawbacks are the hole on d6 and shutting in the bishop on b7.
12.Bf3 0-0
13.0-0 Qc5?
Forking bishop and pawn, but more prudent was completing development by 13... Na6, when 14 Re1 Rae8 15 Ng3 Qxe1+ 16 Qxe1 Rxe1+ 17 Rxe1 Nc5 offers a good endgame. White could have saved his pawn now by 14 Bxf6 Rxf6 15 Ng3! as 15... Qxc4? 16 Ne4 Rh6! 17 Re1 (17 Nd6? Qf4! wins) 17... d5 18 Be2! Qxe4 19 Bh5 wins the queen for rook and knight. Instead he turns his lead in development into an assault on the black king.
14.Qd2 Qxc4
15.Ng3! d5
Unable to block both paths for the knight to d6, Black plays the natural move, which also opens up the seventh rank for White's rooks. The alternative 15... Nd5!? leads to highly complex play, where White also has full compensation for his pawn.
16.Nf5 Qc5
Black must keep the knight from d6. E.g.: 16... Nbd7?! 17 Nd6 Qa6 18 Rae1 Ne8 19 Nxb7 Qxb7 20 Re7 Rf7 21 Rfe1 Nd6 22 Bg4 and White wins material.
17.Rfe1 Nbd7
18.Re7 Rf7
19.Rae1 Raf8
20.Bh6! ---
Intensifying the attack with a piece sacrifice. Another strong move was 20 Bf4 heading for the d6 square.
20.--- Rxe7
Defence of g7 leads to quick mate e.g. 20... Ne8? 21 Rxf7 Kxf7 22 Bxg7 Nxg7 23 Qg5 Nxf5 24 Bh5#. Cutting off the rooks' communication by 20... Ne4!? runs into a fork after 21 Bxe4 dxe4 22 Rxf7 (22 Qxd7?! Bc8! picks up the knight on f5) 22... Rxf7 23 Nd6, but after 23... Rxf2! 24 Qxf2 Qxd6 white has to find 25 Rxe4! when back rank threats mean White retains the exchange for a pawn. E.g. 25... gxh6? 26 Rg4+ Kh8 27 Rd4 Qe6 28 Rxd7! winning.
21.Rxe7 gxh6?
Black's only chance lay in giving up the g7 pawn 20... Rf7! 21 Rxf7 Kxf7 22 Bxg7 when material is equal but White's attack is still going. Now White has a forced win.
22.Qxh6 Rf7
23.Qg5+ Kf8
24.Rxd7! Rxd7
There is no escape. Apart from 24... Nxd7 25 Qd8 mate there is the pretty line 24... Ke8 25 Rxf7 Kxf7 26 Qg7+ Ke6 27 Nd4+ Ke5 28 Qg3 mate.
25.Qxf6+ Ke8
Black resigned before White forced mate by 26 Bh5+ Rf7 27 Bxf7+ Kd7 28 Be6+ Kc7 29 Qe5+ Kd8 30 Qb8+ Bc8 31 Qxc8#.
1-0
Solution: 1 Qxf7+! Rxf7 2 Re8+ Bf8 3 Rg1#.